Wisdom Quotes about Relationships, Love, Marriage

A collection of inspirational wisdom, sayings and quotes about relationships, love, marriage and spiritual partnership.

There are many different types of relationships we can have with one another, from friendship, romantic love to parental or sibling love, or working relationships.  Whilst love can feel wonderful and bring much joy and happiness, it can also bring much pain.  Yet it is through pain that we learn the most.

To live without love is to not live at all and shrivels the soul, and we learn nothing. 

But there are ways to be in relationship with others that is positive and uplifting to yourself and to the other, even if the relationship doesn't last forever.  In love relationships we have much to learn from the other.  The important people in our lives (actually all people in our lives) are really mirrors.  We draw to us those who will help us learn about ourselves.  Each time we are presented with a challenge in a relationship, we are really being presented with an 'opportunity' to look inside ourselves to see what about us it is that needs working on, so that we may grow. 

As an example, if a partner behaves in a way that elicits let's say, jealousy, in us, then they are actually triggering an emotion inside us that is incomplete - that is the 'mirror'.  We look at that emotion that has been triggered and so rather than point a finger at the other one (that is us being a 'victim'), we look at our 'jealousy' and see that we have an issue with 'jealousy' and there is our opportunity to change that about ourselves.  Jealousy is a fear that we are not good enough, and therefore we can then see that if we worked on our 'not-good-enough' belief, then regardless of the other person's behaviour, we would no longer experience 'jealousy (that is us taking back our power). 

We can't change another, only ourselves.

As a rose cant live without the rain So a heart can't love without risk of pain~ SAAS~

The purpose of relationship

is not to have another who might complete you,
but to have another with whom
you might share your completeness.

~ Neale Donald Walsch ~


Spiritual Partnership

... The new female and the new male
are partners on a journey of spiritual growth.
They want to make the journey.
Their love and trust keep them together.
Their intuition guides them. They consult with each other.
They are friends. They laugh a lot. They are equals.

That is what a spiritual partnership is:
a partnership between equals
for the purpose of spiritual growth. 

~ from "Soul Stories" by Gary Zukav ~


Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind;

and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.

~ William Shakespeare ~


Everything that irritates us about others

Can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

~ Carl Jung (1875-1961),
Psychologist ~


The heart that loves
is forever young.

~ Greek proverb ~

Lack of self-worth is the fundamental source of all emotional pain.

A feeling of insecurity, unworthiness and lack of value
is the core experience of powerlessness.

~ Gary Zukav & Linda Francis - from "The Heart Of The Soul" ~

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,
always with the same person.

~ Mignon McLaughlin, Journilist and Author ~


Love is the most potent cause of anxiety
and also the most difficult to face.

~ SAAS~


I have learned silence from the talkative,
tolerance from the intolerant
and kindness from the unkind.
I should not be ungrateful to those teachers.

~ Kahlil Gibran ~


If you love someone,
Tell them.

~ Subash Sapkota~



A power struggle collapses when you withdraw your energy from it.

Power struggles become uninteresting to you when you
change your intention from winning to learning about yourself.

~ Gary Zukav & Linda Francis - "fromT"he Heart of the Soul" ~



The worst thing you can possibly do
is worry about what you could have done.

~ Author Unknown ~


You must speak to be heard,
but sometimes
You have to be silent to be appreciated.

~ Author Unknown ~

A loving person lives in a loving world,
A hostile person lives in a hostile world,
Everyone you meet is your mirror.

~ Ken Keyes, Jr
(from 'Handbook of Higher Consciousness') ~


What comes from the heart,
touches the heart.


~ SAAS ~

Love does not consist in gazing at each other,
but in looking outward together in the same direction.

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~


The reason a dog has so many friends

is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

~ Author Unknown ~

What angers us in another person
is more often than not an unhealed aspect of ourselves.
If we had already resolved that particular issue,
we would not be irritated by its reflection back to us.

~ Simon Peter Fuller
(from 'Rising Out of Chaos') ~


They may forget what you said,
but they will never forget how you made them feel.

~ Carl Buehner ~


The less you open your heart to others,
the more your heart suffers.

~ Deepak Chopra ~


Attachment to being right creates suffering.
When you have a choice to be right, or to be kind,
choose kind
and watch your suffering disappear.

~ Dr Wayne Dyer ~

No-one can make you feel inferior
without your consent.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) ~ 

It is important from time to time
to slow down, to go away by yourself,
and simply BE.

~ Eileen Caddy ~


Nothing can hurt you
unless you give it the power to do so.

~ A Course in Miracles ~

As human beings,
our greatness lies not so much
in being able to remake the world
as in being able to remake ourselves.

~ Mahatma Gandhi ~

The people we are in relationship with
are always a mirror, reflecting our own beliefs,
and simultaneously we are mirrors, reflecting their beliefs.
So... relationship is one of the most powerful tools for growth...
If we look honestly at our relationships,
we can see so much about how we have created them.

~ Shakti Gawain ~


You must begin to trust yourself.
If you do not, then you will forever be looking to others
to prove your own merit to you, and you will never be satisfied.
You will always be asking others what to do
and at the same time resenting those from whom you seek such aid.

~ author unknown ~

11:59 PM by SOOCH · 0

Missing You Quotes

Missing You Quotes

You never know what you have until you lose it, and once you lose it, you can never get it back. The worst way to miss someone is when they are right beside you and yet you know you can never have them. Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but some how feeling warm inside because you're close in heart. I might not get to see you as often as I'd like, I may not get to hold you in my arms at night, but deep in my heart I know that it's true. No matter what happens... I will always love you. I'm holding on to something that used to be there hoping it will come back, knowing it won't. If you love someone more then anything, then distance only matters to the mind, not to the heart. I want to be with you tonight, tomorrow, and today it can't happen now but it will someday. Nothing hurts more then waiting since I don't even know what I'm waiting for anymore. And if you were to say 'come with me', even now I might go. I have waited for you for 2 years and I will wait for you for the rest of my life. Even if that means I have to give you up for the rest of my life, I will wait for you. I love you that much and nothing will ever change that. Can miles truly separate you...? If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there? You know you love someone when the mere thought of losing them brings you to tears. I wish that I could hold you now... I wish that I could touch you now... I wish that I could talk to you... be with you somehow. Distance between two hearts is not an obstacle... rather a beautiful reminder of just how strong true love can be. A lot of people walk in and out of my life, but... you're one of the only ones I ever really wanted to stick around. Just because I moved on doesn't mean I won't be here if you change your mind. Maybe he's doing the same thing as me... maybe he wants so bad to call me, but just won't because I haven't called him... then again, maybe I shouldn't fill myself with false hope that he might just be missing me like I'm missing him. You asked me what was wrong, I smiled and said nothing, when you turned around and a tear came down and I whispered to myself... everything is. I sit here and wonder if you'll ever understand just how much of me belongs to you. I don't miss you: I miss the person I thought you were. I'd be happy to come back to you... except it was you that went away. I think its time I let you go... and that is hard to do because part of me will be in love with you for the rest of my life. Good-bye's make you think. They make you realize what you've had and what you've lost, and what you've taken for granted. Good-bye is only truly painful if you know you'll never say hello again. Never long for anyone from the past. There is a reason why they never made it to your future. Goodbyes always hurt whether it's the right thing to do or not. We'll do what we gotta do, see what we gotta see, and if in the end we end up together, then we'll know it was meant to be. Late at night when all the world is sleeping, I stay up and think of you... and I wish on a star that somewhere you're thinking of me, too. Even now after all this time, you called me and wanted me I'd say "yes! It's about time what took you so damn long!". You do something to me that I can't explain, so would I be out of line if I said I miss you? The few hours I spent with you are worth the thousand hours I spend without you. This is out last goodbye... it's over, just hear this and then I'll go; you gave me more to live for then you'll ever know. Missing you isn't the problem, it's wondering if you'll ever come back that's killing me. It's been quite awhile... I must say I miss our friendship. I miss you, but what I really miss the most is not just you or us but how it all was. I miss the talks we used to have, I miss the voice I used to hear... I miss hearing your crazy but cool stories, and above all these... I just miss you! I ofter catch myself constantly wondering how you are, sitting alone with my mind set so far, reminiscing about your smile, voice and touch, damn this life... I'm missing you too much! I get this feelings we'll be together again. No straight lines make up my life, all roads have bends. No clear cut begging's and so far no dead ends. Today was just one of those days where everything I did reminded me of you and every song I heard somehow related to you. I hate days like today, because they remind me of the one thing I dont have. I called because I wanted you to know that despite everything that' happened and all the miles between us right now, I still think about the way it was in the beginning. If some thing happens and you lose me, please don' think that' the end, come and find again. I know you've been busy, I had things to do too. We haven't talked for some time, I wonder if everything's fine. I had other stuff on me mind, I'm sure you did too, but I just had to tell you this my friend... hey I miss you. People that are meant to be together always find their way in the end. We've gone our separate ways and I know it's for the best, but sometimes I wonder, will I ever have friends like you again? I miss all the little things. Like him driving with his hand resting on my knee and the way wed share a big gooey ice cream. But I especially miss the hot nights in those motel rooms when he was all around me, the taste, and the scent and the feel of him. And Id fall asleep in his arms, with the sound of his heartbeat being the last thing I heard before going to sleep. I ache with longing. I've been laying here all night, listening to the rain. Talking to my heart and trying to explain. Why sometimes I catch myself wondering what might have been. Yes I do think about you, every now and then. In this weird twisted way, I know you miss me liking you, not because I want to believe it's true, but because you'll never find a girl that can put up with you like I did; you'll never find a girl who will care as much as I did, because no one will waste all there love on someone like you, like I did. If you missed me then I'm sorry I didn't stay away longer, I like being missed. Just the thought of being with you tomorrow is enough to get me through today. It's YOU. You mean everything to me... you are the first thought in my head in the morning when I wake up; my last thought before I go to bed. You smile at me in my dreams... when you are sad, I fell sad, and when I see your true smile, I feel incredible, like there is no other thing around and all I can see is you. The best feeling in the world is to be millions of miles away and still be able to picture his eyes.

11:51 PM by SOOCH · 0

Mero motherland by Manoj Gajurel

9:02 AM by SOOCH · 0

Hamro Nepal ma Song from Movie Balidan ( video )

9:00 AM by SOOCH · 1

Top 10 Myths About Egypt

The Ancient Egyptians are shrouded in an aura of mystery and intrigue, cultivated by continuing archeological discoveries. Unfortunately, the sense of awe that pervades Ancient Egypt has also produced countless myths. This list will investigate the most common misconceptions about Ancient Egypt, and include some interesting digressions that will illuminate new areas of their advanced culture.

10

Cleopatra Was Beautiful

Cleopatra VII, the last Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, has always been a cultural figure, renowned for her alluring beauty. This idea has been perpetuated by everybody from Shakespeare to film director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. However, Roman coins show Cleopatra to have masculine features: a large nose, protruding chin and thin lips – not any culture’s archetype of good looks. On the other hand, she wasn’t lacking in brains; contemporary sources note Cleopatra as being charismatic and clever, as opposed to possessing physical beauty.

9

Obsessed With Death

Reading about the Ancient Egyptians with their pyramids, mummies and imposing gods, it is easy to reach the conclusion that they were preoccupied with death. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The great labor that the Egyptians took in burying each other was actually a way of glorifying life. For example, many of the illustrations that adorn the inside of tombs are celebrations of farming, hunting and fishing. Furthermore, the expensive ornaments buried with the Egyptians helped them reach the afterlife, where they continued their current job without any hardships. Mummifying was a way to keep the corpse lifelike, ready for this idealized form of everyday life. Clearly the Egyptians were obsessed with life, not death.

8

Aliens

Listverse attracts a very rational crowd, but unfortunately there are some who believe that the Egyptians were in contact with aliens. They allege that the pyramids are superhuman achievements and that some murals actually depict extraterrestrials. This is simply insulting to the legacy of the Ancient Egyptians. Whilst the Great Pyramid at Giza is mathematically astounding, its construction was not beyond the ingenious astronomers, scholars and architects of the time. And while the Great Pyramid stood as the tallest structure for almost 4000 years, that does not mean that the Egyptians were friends with aliens; it only means that no culture rivaled the Egyptians at building monuments until the 19th century. Concerning murals, the picture above speaks for itself.

7

Fully Discovered

Many believe that we have found out everything we can about Ancient Egypt, and that Egyptology is a dead and buried subject. This is simply incorrect. Fascinating discoveries are still being made daily about Ancient Egypt, shedding new light on their civilization. For instance, a “solar boat” is currently being extracted from the Great Pyramid. It is presumed that this solar boat would allow the dead Pharaohs to assist sun-god Ra in his eternal battle with Apep, demon of darkness. Every night, Ra sails his solar boat into combat with Apep and at dawn he emerges triumphant and cruises across the sky.

6

Hieroglyphs

People seem to assume that the Ancient Egyptians invented hieroglyphs. However, primitive hieroglyphs were probably brought to Egypt by West Asian invaders. Another myth, fueled by the images of snakes and disembodied legs, is that the hieroglyphs were a language of curses and magical incantations. In reality, most of the time hieroglyphs were used for innocuous inscriptions or historical depictions. Curses are rarely found in tombs and most of those discovered have been impotent: “His years shall be diminished”, “He shall have no heir”. Interestingly, until the Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1798, and later translated, most scholars believed that the hieroglyphs were illustrations, not phonetic sounds making up an alphabet.

5

Pyramid Decoration

Hieroglyphs cover the interior of many Ancient Egyptian tombs and palaces. But contrary to myth, the pyramids are relatively undecorated. Indeed, until recently the pyramids at Giza were thought to be absolutely bare inside. This supposition was shattered when hieroglyphs were found behind a secret door in the Great Pyramid a few months ago. Also, the pyramids were not all limestone-colored 4000 years ago: some sections, such as interior pillars, were painted red or white. This basic paint and hidden writing still leaves the pyramids extremely austere; it is their architecture that cements the pyramids as the oldest and most popular stone buildings in the world.

4

Pharaohs Killed Servants

When the Pharaohs died, their servants were not killed and entombed with them as is popularly believed, bar a few exceptions. Two Pharaohs of the First Dynasty of Egypt are known to have had their servants buried with them. The human tendency to generalize has led to the myth that this was a common occurrence amongst all of the other 300 or so Pharaohs. The later Pharaohs probably realized that their trusty servants were more useful living than dead, so they buried themselves with ‘shabtis’ instead. These were figurines that could be animated to help the Pharaohs in the afterlife.

3

Slaves Built The Pyramids

The idea that slaves built the pyramids in Egypt has been circulating since Greek historian Herodotus reported it in the 5th century BC. It was confirmed as false when tombs containing the remains of the pyramid builders were found next to the pyramids at Giza. Being buried beside the divine Pharaohs would be the greatest honor, never granted to slaves. In addition, huge numbers of cattle bones excavated at Giza show that beef, a delicacy in Ancient Egypt, was a staple food of the builders. The builders of the pyramids were evidently highly skilled Egyptian craftsmen, not slaves as Hollywood or perhaps the Bible makes people think.

2

Enslavement Of The Israelites

This follows on from the last myth and is obviously a delicate issue. Unfortunately for those who follow the Bible as a literal account of history, there is no evidence to suggest that the Israelites were enslaved in Ancient Egypt. We know much about the Ancient Egyptians from their thorough records, yet they never mention keeping a race of slaves, they never mention the Ten Plagues and there is no archeological information that shows millions of Hebrews inhabiting Egypt or the desert. Besides, the escape of millions of slaves would have destroyed the Egyptian economy, yet it was thriving throughout the second millennium BC when the exodus supposedly happened.

1

Curse Of The Pharaohs

The ‘curse’ that blighted those who opened the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was a triumph of media hype and public susceptibility. The myth is that a curse laid by Tutankhamun killed sponsor Lord Carnarvon and other members of the expedition. Although some have come up with theories of dangerous fungi and gases accumulating inside the tomb, the deaths do not need a special explanation. Only 8 of the 58 present at the uncovering of the tomb died within a dozen years. Expedition leader Carter, the most obvious target for a curse, lived on for 16 years. The other coincidences are a case of confirmation bias: any misfortune that befell anybody in the expedition was ascribed to the Curse of the Pharaohs. The curse is a prime example of people’s impulse to believe an exciting story instead of the facts.

11:07 AM by SOOCH · 0

Biography of Steve Jobs

Steven Paul “Steve” Jobs was born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco, California, U.S. & died on October 5, 2011 in Palo Alto, California, U.S., was an American computer entrepreneur and innovator. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. He was credited in Toy Story (1995) as an executive producer.

Jobs was adopted by the family of Paul Jobs and Clara Jobsof Mountain View, California. Paul and Clara later adopted a daughter, Patti. Jobs’ biological parents – Abdulfattah John Jandali, a Syrian Muslim immigrant to the U.S., who later became a political science professor at the University of Nevada and is presently a vice president of Boomtown Hotel Casino in Reno, Nevada, and Joanne Schieble (later Simpson), an American graduate student of Swiss and German ancestry who went on to become a speech language pathologist – eventually married.

The marriage produced Jobs’ biological sister, novelist Mona Simpson; the two of them first met in 1986 as adults and enjoyed a close relationship since, with Jobs regularly visiting Simpson in Manhattan. From Simpson, Jobs learned more about their birth parents and he invited his biological mother Joanne to some events. Jandali claims that he didn’t want to put Jobs up for adoption but that Simpson’s parents did not approve of her marrying a Syrian. Jandali’s few attempts to contact Jobs were unsuccessful;Jobs did not contact his biological father either. Jandali gave an interview to The Sun in August 2011 when Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple; Jandali also mailed in his medical history after Jobs’ pancreatic disorder was made public that year.

Jobs attended Cupertino Junior High and Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. He frequented after-school lectures at the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California, and was later hired there, working with Steve Wozniak as a summer employee. Following high school graduation in 1972, Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Although he dropped out after only one semester, he continued auditing classes at Reed, while sleeping on the floor in friends’ rooms, returning Coke bottles for food money, and getting weekly free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple. Jobs later said, “If I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.”

In the fall of 1974, Jobs returned to California and began attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club with Wozniak. He took a job as a technician at Atari, a manufacturer of popular video games, with the primary intent of saving money for a spiritual retreat to India.

Jobs then traveled to India to visit the Neem Karoli Baba at his Kainchi Ashram with a Reed College friend (and, later, the first Apple employee), Daniel Kottke, in search of spiritual enlightenment. He came back a Buddhist with his head shaved and wearing traditional Indian clothing. During this time, Jobs experimented with psychedelics, calling his LSD experiences “one of the two or three most important things done in his life”. He later said that people around him who did not share his countercultural roots could not fully relate to his thinking.

Jobs returned to his previous job at Atari and was given the task of creating a circuit board for the game Breakout. According to Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Atari had offered $100 for each chip that was eliminated in the machine. Jobs had little interest in or knowledge of circuit board design and made a deal with Wozniak to split the bonus evenly between them if Wozniak could minimize the number of chips. Much to the amazement of Atari, Wozniak reduced the number of chips by 50, a design so tight that it was impossible to reproduce on an assembly line. According to Wozniak, Jobs told Wozniak that Atari had given them only $700 (instead of the actual $5,000) and that Wozniak’s share was thus $350.

In the late 1970s, Jobs—along with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkula and others—designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of Xerox PARC’s mouse-driven graphical user interface, which led to the creation of the Macintosh. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs resigned from Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher-education and business markets. Apple’s subsequent 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and he served as its CEO from 1997 until August 2011.

In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd, which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios. He remained CEO and majority shareholder at 50.1 percent until its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company in 2006. Consequently Jobs became Disney’s largest individual shareholder at 7 percent and a member of Disney’s Board of Directors. On August 24, 2011, Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple’s CEO.

Even though Jobs earned only $1 a year as CEO of Apple, he held 5.426 million Apple shares, as well as 138 million shares in Disney (which he had received in exchange for Disney’s acquisition of Pixar). Jobs quipped that the $1 per annum he was paid by Apple was based on attending one meeting for 50 cents while the other 50 cents was based on his performance. Forbes estimated his net wealth at $8.3 billion in 2010, making him the 42nd wealthiest American.

Jobs married Laurene Powell on March 18, 1991. Presiding over the wedding was the Zen Buddhist monk Kobun Chino Otogawa. The couple have a son and two daughters. Jobs also has a daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs (born 1978), from his relationship with Bay Area painter Chrisann Brennan. She briefly raised their daughter on welfare when Jobs denied paternity by claiming he was sterile; he later acknowledged Lisa as his daughter.

In the unauthorized biography, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, author Alan Deutschman reports that Jobs once dated Joan Baez. Deutschman quotes Elizabeth Holmes, a friend of Jobs from his time at Reed College, as saying she “believed that Steve became the lover of Joan Baez in large measure because Baez had been the lover of Bob Dylan” (Dylan was the Apple icon’s favorite musician). The biography also notes that Jobs went out with actress Diane Keaton briefly. In another unauthorized biography, iCon: Steve Jobs by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon, the authors suggest that Jobs might have married Baez, but her age at the time (41) meant it was unlikely the couple could have children.

In 1982, Jobs bought an apartment in The San Remo, an apartment building in New York City with a politically progressive reputation, where Demi Moore, Steven Spielberg, Steve Martin, and Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of Rita Hayworth, also had apartments. With the help of I.M. Pei, Jobs spent years renovating his apartment in the top two floors of the building’s north tower, only to sell it almost two decades later to U2 singer Bono. Jobs had never moved in.

In 1984, Jobs purchased a 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2), 14-bedroom Spanish Colonial mansion, designed by George Washington Smith, in Woodside, California (also known as Jackling House). Although it reportedly remained in an almost unfurnished state, Jobs lived in the mansion for almost ten years. According to reports, he kept an old BMW motorcycle in the living room, and let Bill Clinton use it in 1998. From the early 1990s, Jobs lived in a house in the Old Palo Alto neighborhood of Palo Alto. President Clinton dined with Jobs and 14 Silicon Valley CEOs there on August 7, 1996, at a meal catered by Greens Restaurant. Clinton returned the favor and Jobs, who was a Democratic donor, slept in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House.

Jobs allowed Jackling House to fall into a state of disrepair, planning to demolish the house and build a smaller home on the property; but he met with complaints from local preservationists over his plans. In June 2004, the Woodside Town Council gave Jobs approval to demolish the mansion, on the condition that he advertise the property for a year to see if someone would move it to another location and restore it. A number of people expressed interest, including several with experience in restoring old property, but no agreements to that effect were reached. Later that same year, a local preservationist group began seeking legal action to prevent demolition. In January 2007 Jobs was denied the right to demolish the property, by a court decision. The court decision was overturned on appeal in March 2010 and the mansion was demolished beginning February 2011.

Jobs usually wore a black long-sleeved mock turtleneck made by St. Croix, Levi’s 501 blue jeans, and New Balance 991 sneakers. He was a pescetarian, one whose diet includes fish but no other meat.

His car was a silver 2008 Mercedes SL 55 AMG, which does not display its license plates.

In mid-2004, Jobs announced to his employees that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his pancreas. The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is usually very poor; Jobs, however, stated that he had a rare, far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor. Jobs resisted his doctors’ recommendations for evidence-based medical intervention for nine months, instead consuming a special alternative medicine diet to thwart the disease, before eventually undergoing a pancreaticoduodenectomy (or “Whipple procedure”) in July 2004 that appeared to successfully remove the tumor. Jobs apparently did not require nor receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy. During Jobs’ absence, Timothy D. Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations at Apple, ran the company.

In early August 2006, Jobs delivered the keynote for Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference. His “thin, almost gaunt” appearance and unusually “listless” delivery, together with his choice to delegate significant portions of his keynote to other presenters, inspired a flurry of media and Internet speculation about his health. In contrast, according to an Ars Technica journal report, WWDC attendees who saw Jobs in person said he “looked fine”. Following the keynote, an Apple spokesperson said that “Steve’s health is robust.”

On January 17, 2011, a year and a half after Jobs returned from his liver transplant, Apple announced that he had been granted a medical leave of absence. Jobs announced his leave in a letter to employees, stating his decision was made “so he could focus on his health”. As during his 2009 medical leave, Apple announced that Tim Cook would run day-to-day operations and that Jobs would continue to be involved in major strategic decisions at the company. Despite the leave, he made appearances at the iPad 2 launch event (March 2), the WWDC keynote introducing iCloud (June 6), and before the Cupertino city council (June 7).

Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple’s CEO on August 24, 2011. In his resignation letter, Jobs wrote that he could “no longer meet his duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO”.

In August 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple, but remained at the company as chairman of the company’s board. Hours after the announcement, Apple Inc. (AAPL) shares dropped 5% in after-hour trading. The relatively small drop, when considering the importance of Jobs to Apple, was associated with the fact that Jobs’ health had been in the news for several years, and he was on medical leave since January 2011. It was believed, according to Forbes, that the impact would be felt in a negative way beyond Apple, including at The Walt Disney Company where Jobs served as director. In after-hour trading on the day of the announcement, Walt Disney Co. (DIS) shares dropped 1.5%.

On October 5, 2011, Jobs’ family made a statement that he “died peacefully today”.

Apple released a separate statement saying that Jobs had died. The statement read: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.”

Also on October 5, 2011, Apple’s corporate website greeted visitors with a simple page showing Jobs’ name and lifespan next to his greyscale portrait. Clicking on Jobs’ image led to an obituary that read “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.” An email address was also posted for the public to share their memories, condolences, and thoughts.

Jobs is survived by his wife, Laurene, to whom he was married for 20 years; their three children, Reed (born 1991), Erin (born 1995), and Eve (born 1998); and a fourth child, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, from a previous relationship.

Statements reacting to Jobs’ death were released by several notable people, including U.S. President Barack Obama, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and The Walt Disney Company’s Bob Iger. Wired News collected reactions and posted them in tribute on their homepage. Other statements of condolences were issued by the likes of Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Wozniak and George Lucas.

Due to his youth, great wealth, and charisma, after Apple’s founding, Jobs became a symbol of his company and industry. When Time named the computer as the 1982 “Machine of the Year”, the magazine published a long profile of Steve as “the most famous maestro of the micro”.

Jobs was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 with Steve Wozniak (among the first people to ever receive the honor), and a Jefferson Award for Public Service in the category “Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under” (also known as the Samuel S. Beard Award) in 1987. On November 27, 2007, Jobs was named the most powerful person in business by Fortune Magazine. On December 5, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Jobs into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

In August 2009, Jobs was selected as the most admired entrepreneur among teenagers in a survey by Junior Achievement. On November 5, 2009, Jobs was named the CEO of the decade by Fortune Magazine. In September 2011, Jobs was ranked No.17 on Forbes: The World’s Most Powerful People. In December 2010, the Financial Times named Jobs its person of the year for 2010, ending its essay by stating, “In his autobiography, John Sculley, the former PepsiCo executive who once ran Apple, said this of the ambitions of the man he had pushed out: ‘Apple was supposed to become a wonderful consumer products company. This was a lunatic plan. High-tech could not be designed and sold as a consumer product.’ How wrong can you be”.

After his resignation as Apple’s CEO, Jobs was characterized as the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford of his time.

10:48 AM by SOOCH · 0

Biography of Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of classical music, who predominantly lived in Vienna, Austria. He was a major musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. Beethoven is widely regarded as one of the greatest of composers, and his reputation inspired – and in some cases intimidated – composers, musicians, and audiences who were to come after him.

Life and work Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, to Johann van Beethoven (1740-1792), of Flemish origins, and Magdalena Keverich van Beethoven (1744-1787). Until relatively recently 16 December was shown in many reference works as Beethoven’s "date of birth", since it is known he was baptized on 17 December and children at that time were generally baptized the day after their birth. However modern scholarship declines to rely on such assumptions.

Beethoven’s first music teacher was his father, who worked as a musician in the Electoral court at Bonn, but was also an alcoholic who beat him and unsuccessfully attempted to exhibit him as a child prodigy, like Mozart. However, Beethoven’s talent was soon noticed by others.

He was given instruction and employment by Christian Gottlob Neefe, as well as financial sponsorship by the Prince-Elector. Beethoven’s mother died when he was 17, and for several years he was responsible for raising his two younger brothers.

Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792, where he studied with Joseph Haydn and other teachers. He quickly established a reputation as a piano virtuoso, and more slowly as a composer. He settled into the career pattern he would follow for the remainder of his life: rather than working for the church or a noble court (as most composers before him had done), he was a freelancer, supporting himself with public performances, sales of his works, and stipends from noblemen who recognized his ability.

Beethoven’s career as a composer is usually divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods.

In the Early period, he is seen as emulating his great predecessors Haydn and Mozart, at the same time exploring new directions and gradually expanding the scope and ambition of his work. Some important pieces from the Early period are the first and second symphonies, the first six string quartets, the first two piano concertos, and the first twenty piano sonatas, including the famous Pathétique and Moonlight.

The Middle period began shortly after Beethoven’s personal crisis centering around deafness, and is noted for large-scale works expressing heroism and struggle; these include many of the most famous works of classical music.

The Middle period works include six symphonies (Nos. 3 – 8), the last three piano concertos and his only violin concerto, five string quartets (Nos. 7 – 11), many piano sonatas (including the Waldstein, and Appassionata), and Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio.

Beethoven’s Late period began around 1816 and lasted until Beethoven ceased to compose in 1826. The late works are greatly admired for their intellectual depth and their intense, highly personal expression. They include the Ninth Symphony (the Choral), the Missa Solemnis, the last six string quartets and the last five piano sonatas.

Beethoven’s personal life was troubled. Around age 28 he started to become deaf, a calamity which led him for some time to contemplate suicide. He was attracted to unattainable (married or aristocratic) women, whom he idealized; he never married. A period of low productivity from about 1812 to 1816 is thought by some scholars to have been the result of depression, resulting from Beethoven’s realization that he would never marry. Beethoven quarreled, often bitterly, with his relatives and others, and frequently behaved badly to other people. He moved often from dwelling to dwelling, and had strange personal habits such as wearing filthy clothing while washing compulsively. He often had financial troubles.

It is common for listeners to perceive an echo of Beethoven’s life in his music, which often depicts struggle followed by triumph. This description is often applied to Beethoven’s creation of masterpieces in the face of his severe personal difficulties.

Beethoven was often in poor health, and in 1826 his health took a drastic turn for the worse. His death in the following year is usually attributed toliver disease.

Musical style and innovations Beethoven is viewed as the transitionalfigure between the Classical and Romantic eras of musical history. As far as musical form is concerned, he built on the principles of sonata form and motivic development that he had inherited from Haydn and Mozart, but greatly extended them, writing longer and more ambitious movements. The work of Beethoven’s Middle period is celebrated for its frequently heroic expression, and the works of his Late period for their intellectual depth.

Personal beliefs and their musical influence Beethoven was much taken by the ideals of the Enlightenment and by the growing Romanticism in Europe. He initially dedicated his third symphony, the Eroica (Italian for "heroic"), to Napoleon in the belief that the general would sustain the democratic and republican ideals of the French Revolution, but in 1804 crossed out the dedication as Napoleon’s imperial ambitions became clear, replacing it with "to the memory of a great man". The fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony features an elaborate choral setting of Schiller’s ode An die Freude ("To Joy"), an optimistic hymn championing the brotherhood of humanity.

Scholars disagree on Beethoven’s religious beliefs and the role they played in his work. For discussion, see Beethoven’s religious beliefs.

Beethoven the Romantic? A continuing controversy surrounding Beethoven is whether he was a Romantic composer. As documented elsewhere, since the meanings of the word "Romantic" and the definition of the period "Romanticism" both vary by discipline, Beethoven’s inclusion as a member of that movement or period must be looked at in context.

If we consider the Romantic movement as an aesthetic epoch in literature and the arts generally, Beethoven sits squarely in the first half, along with literary Romantics such as the German poets Goethe and Schiller (whosetexts both he and the much more straightforwardly Romantic Franz Schubert drew on for songs), and the English poet Percy Shelley. He was also called a Romantic by contemporaries such as Spohr and E.T.A. Hoffman. He is often considered the composer of the first Song Cycle, and was influenced by Romantic folk idioms, for example in his use of the work of Robert Burns. He set dozens of such poems (and arranged folk melodies) for voice, piano, and violin.

If on the other hand we consider the context of musicology, where "Romanticism" is dated later, the matter is one of considerably greaterdebate. For some experts Beethoven is not a Romantic, and his being one is "a myth"; for others he stands as a transitional figure, or an immediate precursor to Romanticism; for others he is the prototypical, or even archetypical, Romantic composer, complete with myth of heroic genius and individuality.

The marker buoy of Romanticism has been pushed back and forth several times by scholarship, and remains a subject of intense debate, in no small part because Beethoven is seen as a seminal figure. To those for whom the Enlightenment represents the basis of Modernity, he must therefore be unequivocally a Classicist, while for those who see the Romantic sensibility as a key to later aesthetics (including the aesthetics of our own time), he must be a Romantic. Between these two extremes there are, of course, innumerable gradations.

Listening to Beethoven’s music also another scholar analysis is possible: there is definitely an evolution in style from Beethoven’s earliest compositions to his later works. The young Beethoven can be seen toiling to conform to the esthetic models of his contemporaries: he wants to write music that is acceptable in the society of his days.

Later there is much more iconoclasm in his approach, like adding a chorus to a symphony, where a symphony had until then only been a purely instrumental genre. This means that the question changes from whether Beethoven was a classicist or was a romantic, to: where is the pivotal moment that Beethoven tilted from dominant classicism to dominant romanticism? Here again most scholars seem to concurr: the presentation of the 5th and 6th symphonies in a single concert in 1808 is probably closest to that pivotal point one can get: in the 5th symphony he let a short pounding motto theme run through all movements of the composition (unheard of until then). Then the 6th was the first example of a symphony composed as "program music" (what in romanticism became standard practice), and it broke up the traditional arrangement of a symphony in four movements. Yet, after that Beethoven still wrote his very "classical" 8th symphony, and some innocent-sounding chamber music for the English market – but by the end of the first decade of the 19th century Beethoven the romantic was doubtlessly on top.

10:45 AM by SOOCH · 0